Okaloosa County Schools
HOMEPAGE

The Okaloosa School District has a comprehensive plan for technology which includes technology infrastructure, teacher training, access for students and instructional software. The following is an overview of these areas of technology:

The District has an Okaloosa Metropolitan Area Network (OMAN) and each school has either a T1 or 56KB line. We have two T1 lines for Internet access, one provided by the State of Florida FIRN network. The District also has a BESS Proxy Server from N2H2 that filters unwanted Internet sites. All schools have as a minimum 10 Internet lines in either the media center or a lab. This gives access to the Internet for all students. Many schools are completely retrofitted for voice, video and data. During the next 5 years, the rest of the schools will be retrofitted.

The State of Florida has developed Sunshine State Standards for students. These standards have technology woven throughout them. The District selected Student Standards for Technology from the Sunshine State Standards. Based on the student standards, the District developed Basic Technology Competencies for Teachers. This is what teachers need to know in order to teach the students. Training for basic competencies if provided through school-based mentors, District trainers, and other modes of training. The District has developed a model for training teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum, TOOLS 2000. In this workshop teachers learn basic computer skills, use of a digital camera, instruction on the writing process, technology based activity centers, theory of multiple intelligence, authentic assessment using a rubric, managing a classroom with technology and planning thematic units. The workshop has been very successful and is now being piloted online for teachers to take from school or home. The District has implemented an incentive program called Top Notch Teacher. When teachers complete basic competencies, take a test on them, and show by means of a portfolio that they are integrating technology into the curriculum, they receive three new computers for their classroom.

Through grants and State Technology funds the Okaloosa School District and schools are purchasing instructional software programs for students. This year two elementary schools received a TLCF grant for reading. Computer Curriculum Corporation reading software and Lightspan Home School programs were purchased. One of our high schools received a TLCF grant to implement a two-year Algebra I class to assist students who normally don't take Algebra. The State recently required that all students complete Algebra I. The District also received a TLCF grant for distance learning and instructional television, Best Practices in Action. In this grant, a tower is being constructed in Bay County that will connect all the counties in the Panhandle for instructional television, put the TOOLS 2000 training online and produce training and parent awareness videos for technology.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the Okaloosa School District. We are proud of our accomplishments and are looking forward to the future with technology as a tool for learning.